Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed officials to install state-of-the-art sensors and early warning systems across vulnerable Himalayan glacial lakes to prevent flash floods and protect downstream communities, officials said on Thursday.
The statement comes amid growing concerns over risks associated with glacial lakes and the potential impact of sudden changes in water levels on downstream settlements. The chief minister stressed that efforts should go beyond monitoring and warning systems and include comprehensive risk-mitigation measures. Officials have been asked to identify vulnerable areas, map potentially affected zones, establish safe evacuation routes, strengthen communication networks and improve local warning mechanisms and relief and rescue preparedness.
Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, said the state has identified 13 glacial lakes as sensitive.
“Surveys of four lakes have already been completed, while scientific assessments of the remaining lakes will be conducted in phases,” he said. Suman said an expert team will soon survey Saraswati Tal in Chamoli district and Kedartal in Uttarkashi district. “The surveys will assess the present condition of the lakes, water levels, changes in their size, surrounding terrain, potential hazard factors and the likely impact on downstream areas”, he said.
This would include continuous monitoring of sensitive lakes, installation of advanced sensors and warning equipment, real-time data collection, expansion of monitoring devices where required and alternative communication channels for emergency alerts.
Suman said the government was developing an end-to-end response mechanism covering the entire chain from detection and warning to evacuation, relief and rescue.
